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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 124 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wake — a trail
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — moving air
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. file — a tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. file — a document
  14. roll — a cake
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. club — a group
  22. roll — a list
  23. content — the amount
  24. nail — on a finger

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