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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ball — a dance
  3. file — a document
  4. object — a thing
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. object — to protest
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a great time
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wind — moving air
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. file — a line of people

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