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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. land — a country
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — ground
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. file — a tool
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — to come down
  18. suit — to fit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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