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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fine — all right
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bore — to drill
  10. pitch — completely
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chip — to eat

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