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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. suit — in cards
  4. file — a document
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — part of the head
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. face — to confront
  19. chip — to eat
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. face — to point toward
  24. file — a tool

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