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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — humankind
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spell — letters
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. race — the arms race
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — a contest
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. spell — magic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. face — to confront
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. arm — part of the body

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