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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. net — in sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. net — after costs
  9. cue — for pool
  10. object — an aim
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — a position
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. object — a thing
  16. sharp — clever
  17. net — for catching
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wake — a trail
  22. ground — crushed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — with an edge

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