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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — to eat
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — for betting
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. charge — in control
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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