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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 120 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fall — the season
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. charge — in control
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. charge — a price
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. march — music
  24. fan — a supporter

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