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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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 — a supporter
  2. rock — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — final
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. snap — to click
  8. last — to go on
  9. mug — a face
  10. last — finally
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. branch — a division
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — a stone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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