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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. court — of law
  7. lean — thin
  8. present — there
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. toast — bread
  11. court — for sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. hand — help
  16. present — the time now
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. date — the fruit
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — of a king

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