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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cold — an illness
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. roll — a list
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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