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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — the fish
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. object — to protest
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. object — a thing
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bass — low music
  14. object — an aim
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stand — to bear
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lean — thin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stand — on your feet

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