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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pit — a hole
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cue — a hint
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mine — for digging

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