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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — a subject
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — farmland
  23. snap — to click
  24. fork — a garden tool

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