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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — a hole
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pit — in a race

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