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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lean — to bend
  3. row — a line
  4. lean — thin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. bear — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. march — music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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