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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tube — a container
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — to confront
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. content — the amount
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — music
  17. content — happy
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. club — a group
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — to play on

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