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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chest — a box
  3. march — the month
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bank — for money
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — a break
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bank — for money
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a hat
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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