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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kick — in football
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — a break
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. content — the amount
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. staff — employees

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