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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. present — the time now
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. present — there
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. plane — a tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — to handle
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. present — a gift
  20. current — electric
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rush — hurry
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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