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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — ground
  9. mug — to rob
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — rain
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. land — to come down
  16. prune — to trim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — size or range
  21. land — a country
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to succeed

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