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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fine — all right
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. snap — to click
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. root — the cause
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — final
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fan — a supporter

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