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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — a trail
  5. track — a path
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spell — magic
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mug — to rob
  16. track — a song
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mug — a cup
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mug — a face
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — to turn a key

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