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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bass — low music
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pass — a permit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. race — a contest
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. squash — to crush

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