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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pop — to visit
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — music
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pop — soda
  11. march — the month
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. march — music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pit — in a race
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. arm — part of the body

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