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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. present — there
  7. land — ground
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. key — the most important part

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