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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. land — ground
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. land — a country
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wake — a trail

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