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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — a thing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. object — an aim
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pop — soda
  13. object — to protest
  14. mug — a face
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. march — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pop — music
  23. key — in music
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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