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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. snap — to click
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. craft — boats
  10. rush — hurry
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. dip — to sink
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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