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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — a trail
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wind — moving air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. sharp — clever
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — to tease

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