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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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. game — wild animals
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. game — a match
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — a gift
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — there
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — the amount

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