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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — low music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stand — to bear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a dance
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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