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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. spell — magic
  8. club — for golf
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spell — a short time
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — letters
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. club — a group
  22. land — to come down
  23. club — for dancing
  24. mark — a grade

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