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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — a match
  5. pitch — completely
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tear — from crying
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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