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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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Word bank
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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: racket · bore · fan · rush · sharp · bass · wind · swing

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rush — hurry
  5. swing — music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. sharp — clever
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bass — low music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  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