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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. clip — a video
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. kick — in football
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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