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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. club — for dancing
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rule — government
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. key — the most important part
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. branch — a division
  9. club — for golf
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wind — moving air
  12. club — a group
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — to tire
  20. key — for a lock
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bore — to drill
  23. key — in music
  24. straw — dry grass

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