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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. deal — to handle
  20. plane — a tool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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