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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.

Make a worksheet

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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mine — for digging
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. land — a country
  11. object — an aim
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. object — to protest
  14. march — the month
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. march — music
  22. object — a thing
  23. land — ground
  24. chest — a box

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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