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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rest — a break
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — a container
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — government
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rule — a law

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