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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — in cards
  14. firm — a company
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. firm — steady
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. firm — decided
  23. band — a music group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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