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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — in sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — an injury
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. content — happy
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — the amount
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

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