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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — magic
  3. object — a thing
  4. kick — in football
  5. spell — a short time
  6. suit — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. object — to protest
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spell — letters
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — music
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. object — an aim
  24. straw — dry grass

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