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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. swing — to play on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. can — to be able to
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — goods
  17. face — to point toward
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stock — shares
  24. nail — for a hammer

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