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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — a country
  10. rush — hurry
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. march — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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