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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. row — a line
  4. game — a match
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wind — moving air
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bark — to shout
  11. scale — in music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. toast — bread
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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