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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. date — the fruit
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lean — to bend
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a great time
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lean — thin
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rush — to hurry

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