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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cell — in biology
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rule — government
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. drill — army training
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fan — to cool the air

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