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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · bay · present · cold · pop · rush · jam · perch

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rush — hurry
  8. present — a gift
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pop — to visit
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. pop — soda
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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