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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pop — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — soda
  8. file — a tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. net — in sport
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. file — a document
  15. net — for catching
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a line of people

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