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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — a path
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. track — a song
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. snap — to click
  21. pit — a hole
  22. track — to keep track
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rash — on the skin

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