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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kid — child
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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