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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — help
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — magic
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spell — a short time
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spell — letters
  20. can — to be able to
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pit — a hole

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