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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. scale — size or range
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cue — for pool
  24. scale — in music

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