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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — low music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. shower — rain
  16. cold — an illness
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. rush — a thrill

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