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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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