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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. march — the month
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wind — moving air
  6. content — the amount
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kid — child
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — happy
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — in football
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — for a hammer

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