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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — all right
  4. plane — a tool
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — government
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. ground — a position
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rule — a law
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. lie — to recline

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