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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a word
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mate — to breed
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mate — a friend
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — moving air
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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