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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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. object — to protest
  4. fine — all right
  5. last — finally
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. object — an aim
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. last — to go on
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. shower — rain
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. last — final
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. snap — to click
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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