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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. staff — a stick
  5. charge — a price
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — employees
  11. court — of a king
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. charge — in control
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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