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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. toast — bread
  3. wind — moving air
  4. race — a contest
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a line
  8. race — humankind
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. row — to paddle
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. roll — a cake
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wind — moving air
  21. roll — a list
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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