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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — the season
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spring — a coil
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spring — of water
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — belonging to me

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