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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. last — finally
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. last — to go on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stock — goods
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stock — shares
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — a phone
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. last — final
  24. wind — moving air

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