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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bound — certain

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