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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bound — certain
  13. kid — child
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. plane — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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