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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. march — music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. last — finally
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. squash — the sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — the cause
  20. march — the month
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. root — of a word
  24. last — final

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