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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rash — a series
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pop — to visit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pop — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pop — soda
  17. sharp — clever
  18. tear — to rip
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tear — from crying

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