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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — the month
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. march — the month
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — to crush
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. tear — to rip
  14. march — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ruler — for measuring

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