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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wind — moving air
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — rain
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cue — a hint
  16. track — to keep track
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a song
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fine — all right
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cue — for pool

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