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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. scale — in music
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. file — a tool
  10. scale — size or range
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rock — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. leaves — of a tree

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