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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — a short time
  15. track — a song
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. fall — the season
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. track — to keep track
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fall — to drop

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