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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wake — a trail
  8. perch — the fish
  9. last — final
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — steady
  12. last — to go on
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. firm — a company
  15. mine — for digging
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. firm — decided
  22. last — finally
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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