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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. staff — a stick
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bear — the animal
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. key — the most important part
  12. clip — a video
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — to cut
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pit — in a race
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pit — a hole
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com