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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — of a river
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — not warm
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pit — a hole
  12. drill — army training
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — the tool
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cold — an illness
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. saw — the tool

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