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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — a gift
  5. date — the fruit
  6. present — the time now
  7. rock — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. craft — a skill
  13. present — there
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — boats
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. date — on the calendar

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