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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. cold — an illness
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spell — letters
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. spell — magic
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cold — not warm

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