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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mark — a grade
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mark — a trace
  17. land — ground
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — music
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bank — of a river

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