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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wind — moving air
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cap — a hat
  11. club — for golf
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. club — a group
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. foot — part of the body

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