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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. key — for a lock
  7. object — to protest
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. face — to confront
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to point toward
  18. object — a thing
  19. board — a committee
  20. face — part of the head
  21. key — in music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — of a king
  24. object — an aim

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