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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — music
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pop — soda
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — a partner
  14. lean — thin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. season — in sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mate — a friend

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