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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fall — the season
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. file — a document
  12. season — in sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rock — a stone
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fine — all right

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