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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rock — a stone
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — music
  6. fine — all right
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — for paper
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fine — high quality
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — a video
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — rain
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. sharp — clever

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