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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to click
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — a break
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bark — to shout

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