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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bass — low music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a match
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. craft — boats
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rash — a series

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