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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. object — to protest
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. current — of water
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. date — the fruit
  11. mate — to breed
  12. present — a gift
  13. degree — temperature
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. staff — a stick
  17. object — an aim
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — employees
  21. present — there
  22. object — a thing
  23. present — the time now
  24. mate — a friend

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