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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. charge — a price
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — in control
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rush — hurry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wind — moving air
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rush — to hurry

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