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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a tool
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — a partner
  11. lean — thin
  12. wind — moving air
  13. file — a document
  14. content — the amount
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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