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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. land — a country
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. shower — rain
  23. wind — moving air
  24. land — to come down

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