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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. track — a path
  6. rash — a series
  7. track — a song
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — a cup
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mug — to rob
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mug — a face
  24. mouse — for a computer

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