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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mug — to rob
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chair — a leader
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spring — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cabinet — ministers

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