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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — a friend
  10. perch — the fish
  11. content — the amount
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — wild animals
  17. content — happy
  18. game — a match
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. perch — for a bird

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