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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — the earth
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bulb — for light
  8. chair — a leader
  9. band — a music group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. ground — a position
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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