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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — the tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — to protest
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. object — an aim
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bass — low music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — to confront
  17. saw — the tool
  18. object — a thing
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — a list
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bass — the fish

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