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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. race — humankind
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tear — from crying
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tear — to rip
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fork — in a road
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — the arms race
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. race — a contest
  24. tear — from crying

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