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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. date — the fruit
  3. scale — in music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cue — a signal
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. file — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. foot — a measure
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. file — a document

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