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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. race — the arms race
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. spring — the season
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — happy
  15. spring — a coil
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — of water
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a line
  24. pass — a permit

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