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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. court — of law
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. can — a tin
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — of water
  23. squash — the sport
  24. can — to be able to

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