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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ground — crushed
  4. track — a song
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bass — low music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. track — a path
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — a position
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. staff — employees

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