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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. staff — employees
  4. land — a country
  5. staff — employees
  6. land — to come down
  7. file — a document
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pound — a weight
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — ground
  14. rest — what's left
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. file — a tool
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pound — for dogs

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