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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spring — the season
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. clip — to cut
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — a video
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. can — a tin
  21. scale — in music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. squash — to crush
  24. clip — for paper

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