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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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468
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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — child
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. kid — to tease
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. lean — thin
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rock — music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — completely
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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