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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. charge — a price
  3. spring — of water
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ground — a position
  7. stock — goods
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. charge — in control
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. charge — electricity

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