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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. chair — a leader
  6. shower — rain
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fine — all right
  15. wound — an injury
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. wound — an injury

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