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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bass — low music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. wind — moving air
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. track — to keep track
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bay — a horse colour

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