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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bound — tied together
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bound — certain
  11. kid — to tease
  12. mark — a grade
  13. net — for catching
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. net — after costs
  17. bound — obliged
  18. squash — the sport
  19. kid — child
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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