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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. band — a ring
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — a law
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. pit — in a race
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rule — government
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. band — a music group
  17. shower — rain
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. root — the cause
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a hole

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