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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. club — a group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — for golf
  20. fork — in a road
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rest — a break

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