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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — to handle
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chest — a box
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mark — a trace
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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