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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — soda
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — crushed
  8. can — a tin
  9. pop — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pop — to visit
  13. saw — the tool
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. wind — moving air
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chip — to eat
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chip — in a computer

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