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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rule — government
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. ball — a dance
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. squash — to crush

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