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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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468
Word bank
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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — the underground
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — to drop
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — after costs

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