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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pound — a weight
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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