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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — help
  5. lean — thin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. fall — the season
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fall — to drop

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