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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. track — a song
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — a leader
  13. land — a country
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. land — to come down
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wind — moving air
  20. land — ground
  21. bound — certain
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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