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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to sink
  5. last — final
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. file — a document
  9. firm — decided
  10. wind — moving air
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. firm — steady
  15. file — a tool
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bank — of a river
  19. last — to go on
  20. bank — for money
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. firm — a company
  24. file — a line of people

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