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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. spell — a short time
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — a series
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. pop — soda
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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