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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wind — moving air
  6. staff — employees
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to click
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — a stick
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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