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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — for digging
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitch — completely
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. chest — a box
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. toast — bread
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. spell — a short time

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