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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. mug — a face
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. kid — child

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