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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rule — a law
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hand — help
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cue — a hint
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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