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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. march — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. march — the month
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rash — a series
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wind — moving air
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — hasty
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. degree — from a university

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