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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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468
Word bank
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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — humankind
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. drill — army training
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — a practice
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stand — to bear
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — the tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. content — happy
  24. mine — for digging

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