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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 120 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — a series
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rash — hasty
  8. present — a gift
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. suit — in cards
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — there
  23. staff — employees
  24. present — the time now

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