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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. ground — a position
  9. drill — army training
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ground — crushed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitch — completely
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — a partner
  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