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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. mug — a face
  5. rule — government
  6. wind — moving air
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rule — a law
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. chest — a box
  17. row — a line
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — a division
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mug — a cup
  24. row — to paddle

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