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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a line
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a path
  20. rash — hasty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a song
  24. pound — to hit hard

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