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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wind — moving air
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. drill — a practice
  15. clip — a video
  16. game — wild animals
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. prune — to trim
  24. game — a match

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