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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. wind — moving air
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. dip — to sink
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fine — all right
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. pop — soda
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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