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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cap — a lid
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. shower — rain
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — to wash
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cabinet — ministers

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