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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a line
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. track — a song
  6. rule — a law
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rule — government
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fork — in a road
  16. tube — a container
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. track — a path
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. straw — a straw man

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