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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mug — a face
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pop — music
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — a series
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mug — to rob
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mark — to pay attention

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