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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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Word bank
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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. firm — a company
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. firm — decided
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. firm — steady
  14. degree — an amount
  15. season — in sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wind — moving air
  24. racket — for tennis

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