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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. current — electric
  5. pit — in a race
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — moving air
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to click
  11. current — of water
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — a division
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. current — happening now
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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