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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wind — moving air
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. club — for dancing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cell — in biology
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. club — for golf
  23. shower — to wash
  24. club — a group

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