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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  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. press — a publisher
  3. land — a country
  4. ball — a dance
  5. date — the fruit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. press — to push
  12. club — a group
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. land — ground
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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