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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 124 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. staff — employees
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wind — to turn a key

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