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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a document
  5. board — a committee
  6. mug — to rob
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. squash — to crush
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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