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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. swing — to play on
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rule — government
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. swing — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — a law
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rest — a break
  24. leaves — to go away

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