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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. file — a tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. rule — a law
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — government
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bank — of a river
  24. file — a line of people

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