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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stock — goods
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. band — a music group
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. rash — a series
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a ring
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. plane — a tool
  24. stock — shares

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