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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. rule — government
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. mark — a grade
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. last — finally
  24. date — on the calendar

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