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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. foot — a measure
  6. season — in sport
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — tied together
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bound — certain
  22. track — to keep track
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. dip — to dunk

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