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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for golf
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. club — a group
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. club — for dancing
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — a grade

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