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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mate — a partner

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