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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. can — a tin
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. key — in music
  11. object — a thing
  12. key — for a lock
  13. object — an aim
  14. last — final
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. object — to protest
  19. wind — moving air
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. key — the most important part

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