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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 116 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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. race — a contest
  3. bat — the animal
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — electricity
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. charge — in control
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — the arms race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. charge — a price
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — humankind
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — for a computer

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