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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. current — of water
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — electric
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cap — a lid
  24. current — happening now

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