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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. craft — a skill
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. file — a line of people
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pit — a hole
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bass — the fish
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. pit — in a race
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — moving air

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