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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rush — hurry
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — to keep track
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pop — music
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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