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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — government
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. spell — a short time
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rule — a law
  24. dip — a sauce

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