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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — shares
  4. land — a country
  5. key — in music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. plane — a tool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. wind — moving air
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. pit — a hole
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pit — in a race
  23. cap — a hat
  24. key — the most important part

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