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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. drill — army training
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fall — the season
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. staff — employees
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — for betting
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. staff — employees
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. chip — to eat
  22. drill — a practice
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitcher — a jug

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