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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — moving air
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bore — to drill
  14. swing — to play on
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bore — to tire
  19. swing — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — in golf
  24. lean — thin

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