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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. land — to come down
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. land — ground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — to breed
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. land — a country
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cue — a hint
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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