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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. charge — in control
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. kick — in football
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cabinet — ministers

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