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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. present — there
  11. object — to protest
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — a list
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. object — a thing
  18. roll — a cake
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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