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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cap — a lid
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — music
  6. file — a document
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. file — a tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — to visit
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to click
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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