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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rest — what's left
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fan — a supporter

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