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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — child
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rest — a break
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rest — what's left
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — to tease
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — in music

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