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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wind — moving air
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — the month
  12. game — wild animals
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. court — of law
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. rest — a break
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — the animal

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