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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the fish
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. squash — the sport

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