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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — low music
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. squash — to crush
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ball — a great time
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — tied together
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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