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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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468
Word bank
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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. face — part of the head
  6. object — a thing
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. staff — employees
  11. face — to confront
  12. object — to protest
  13. kid — to tease
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. game — a match
  21. kid — child
  22. object — an aim
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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