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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. field — farmland
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. pit — a hole
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — low music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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