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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kick — in football
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mate — a friend
  11. club — for golf
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kid — to tease
  15. club — a group
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spell — magic
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — for dancing

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