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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ground — a position
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to bend
  7. net — for catching
  8. rest — what's left
  9. saw — the tool
  10. board — to get on
  11. net — in sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — a break
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — after costs
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — crushed

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