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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — to paddle
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mate — a partner
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. march — the month
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — a line
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — music
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. file — a tool
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — to breed
  24. nail — for a hammer

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