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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. drill — a practice
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — finally
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. drill — army training
  11. last — final
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — in sport
  19. suit — in cards
  20. net — after costs
  21. suit — to fit
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — the tool

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