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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. object — an aim
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — to bear
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. rock — music
  14. game — a match
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. saw — the tool
  18. squash — to crush
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mate — to breed

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