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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. present — a gift
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wind — moving air
  8. race — a contest
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chair — a leader
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hand — help
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. present — there
  17. bank — for money
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — humankind
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. present — the time now

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