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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bass — low music
  3. season — of the year
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. firm — a company
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — magic
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — steady
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. firm — decided
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — in sport
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — letters
  21. board — a committee
  22. kid — child
  23. board — to get on
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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