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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — government
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. lean — to bend
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rule — a law
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pop — music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. last — to go on
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lean — thin
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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