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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to click
  13. fine — high quality
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — all right
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — in music
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. last — to go on
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. scale — for weighing

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