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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. face — part of the head
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fall — the season
  6. wake — a trail
  7. fine — high quality
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. clip — a video
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fine — all right
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. face — to confront
  22. lean — to bend
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fine — a penalty

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