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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. roll — a list
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. chair — a leader
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. file — a line of people
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. safe — out of danger

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