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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. clip — to cut
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mate — a friend
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rash — hasty

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