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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chip — to eat
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chip — for betting
  12. ball — a dance
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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