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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — in cards
  5. last — finally
  6. pass — a permit
  7. rush — hurry
  8. staff — a stick
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — a list
  13. staff — employees
  14. last — final
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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