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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ground — crushed
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pit — in a race
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. object — an aim
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pound — a weight
  20. object — a thing
  21. ground — a position
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pound — for dogs

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