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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — soda
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cold — an illness
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — music
  23. cold — not warm
  24. lean — thin

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