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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bound — certain
  4. land — a country
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — obliged
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. land — to come down
  13. pound — a weight
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chest — of your body
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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