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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. land — ground
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. charge — in control
  17. land — a country
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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