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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. hand — help
  15. rush — hurry
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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