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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. roll — a list
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. band — a music group
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. rule — a law
  10. kick — in football
  11. scale — in music
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. band — a ring
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. roll — a cake
  22. toast — bread
  23. wind — moving air
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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