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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — to shout
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rash — a series
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — to fit
  24. leaves — lets stay

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