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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wind — moving air
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. saw — the tool

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