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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hand — in cards
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — a subject
  6. track — a path
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — farmland
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. wind — moving air
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. tube — a container
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. saw — the tool

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