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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — an aim
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. sharp — clever
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — to protest
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. object — a thing

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