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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — all right
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cap — a lid
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. face — to confront
  24. content — videos and posts

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