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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. hand — help
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — a cup
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. march — music
  20. mug — a face
  21. ground — a position
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — the season
  24. mug — to rob

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