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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked 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. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — army training
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. drill — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mouse — the animal

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