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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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. face — part of the head
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. wound — an injury
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rush — hurry
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pop — to visit
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. face — to confront
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. spring — of water
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kid — child

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