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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. staff — a stick
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. staff — employees
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — employees
  23. lie — to recline
  24. hand — in cards

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