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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 120 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — of law
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — for sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — a big deal

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