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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. net — after costs
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. net — for catching
  12. land — a country
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — ground
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — a division
  22. net — in sport
  23. wind — moving air
  24. craft — boats

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