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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. perch — the fish
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. chest — a box
  11. race — a contest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to click
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — in a race
  21. kick — in football
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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