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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — crushed
  5. march — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fall — the season
  9. rule — government
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ground — a position
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rule — a law
  15. capital — a city
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. leaves — to go away

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