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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — to come down
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mug — a face
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. land — ground
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bulb — for light
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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