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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. track — a path
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — in music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. object — a thing
  10. cap — a lid
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. key — for a lock
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cap — of ice
  15. object — an aim
  16. wind — moving air
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. cap — a hat
  20. object — to protest
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. lash — to lash out

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