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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. hand — help
  4. squash — to crush
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. squash — the sport
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fine — high quality
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. court — of law
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. suit — in cards
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. suit — to fit
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wind — moving air

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