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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. land — to come down
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bass — low music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — to shout
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. dip — to sink

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