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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — for pool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. net — in sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pit — in a race
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cue — a hint
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bear — the animal
  20. net — for catching
  21. bear — the animal
  22. net — after costs
  23. fine — all right
  24. cue — a signal

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