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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. track — a path
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — to come down
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — ground
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wound — an injury

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