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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. firm — a company
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — decided
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wind — moving air
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. fan — a supporter

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