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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cell — in biology
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — a trail
  21. capital — a city
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — money

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