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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. net — for catching
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mug — a face
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rush — hurry
  23. vault — a safe
  24. mug — to rob

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