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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. can — a tin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. row — to paddle
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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