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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. march — music
  3. can — to be able to
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. deal — to handle

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