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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cap — of ice
  3. craft — a skill
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cap — a hat
  7. object — a thing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. craft — boats
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — after costs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. net — in sport
  20. object — an aim
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. object — to protest
  23. wind — moving air
  24. net — for catching

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