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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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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — a series
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — to confront
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — hasty
  23. game — a match
  24. game — wild animals

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