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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. pass — to spend time
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — rain
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rash — hasty
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pass — a permit
  12. shower — to wash
  13. net — in sport
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. rash — a series
  21. chair — a leader
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  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