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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — help
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pass — a permit
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. present — there
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — the season
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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