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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — a contest
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — in music
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. race — humankind
  13. swing — music
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. swing — in golf
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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