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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. roll — a list
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — an aim
  18. staff — employees
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. staff — a stick
  24. roll — a cake

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