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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 116 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a document
  4. firm — decided
  5. squash — the sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. firm — a company
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitch — completely
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. firm — steady
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. file — a line of people

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