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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rash — a series
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. object — to protest
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — completely
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. plane — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. object — an aim
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. capital — a city
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. object — a thing
  24. wind — moving air

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