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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · racket · wind · leaves · chest · pound · degree · fine

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pound — a weight
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fine — all right
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. leaves — of a tree

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