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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — in sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. net — after costs
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mate — a partner
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. net — for catching
  24. safe — out of danger

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