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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. last — final
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cell — a phone
  7. last — finally
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fall — the season
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mate — a friend
  18. last — to go on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fall — to drop

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