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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rash — a series
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — to handle

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