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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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Word bank
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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. capital — money
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — magic
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fine — high quality
  11. capital — a city
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. fine — all right
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kick — in football
  24. cabinet — ministers

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