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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — the amount
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pop — music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. content — happy

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