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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rush — hurry
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. staff — employees
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fine — all right
  13. chip — for betting
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. staff — employees

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