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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. mark — a grade
  5. dip — to sink
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. object — to protest
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — an aim
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitch — completely
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rush — hurry
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. object — a thing
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wind — moving air

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