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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rush — hurry
  10. present — the time now
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. present — there
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — a gift
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. shower — rain
  24. fan — to cool the air

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