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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fork — in a road
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fine — all right
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. spell — magic
  9. firm — a company
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wind — moving air
  14. spring — the season
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — steady
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fork — to eat with

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