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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — all right
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — belonging to me

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