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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. object — to protest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cue — for pool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. object — an aim
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. clip — to cut
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — a signal
  24. row — a line

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