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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. row — a line
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. hand — help
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pass — a permit
  18. firm — a company

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