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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mug — a face
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — the fruit
  8. land — ground
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. land — a country
  12. snap — to click
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rest — a break
  22. mug — a cup
  23. land — to come down
  24. rest — what's left

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