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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. last — final
  4. rest — what's left
  5. object — a thing
  6. march — the month
  7. land — a country
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. land — ground
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. object — an aim
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — a break

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