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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mine — for digging
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. rest — a break
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — lets stay

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