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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — of the year
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. track — a song
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. roll — a cake
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. wind — moving air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — a law
  24. pitcher — a jug

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