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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mark — a grade
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — a series
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mark — a trace
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. pop — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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