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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fall — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — a friend
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ruler — for measuring

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