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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. suit — clothes
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. march — the month
  7. clip — to cut
  8. roll — a cake
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. cue — for pool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cue — a hint
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. suit — in cards
  17. roll — a list
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. march — the month
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cue — a signal
  24. march — music

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