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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — a subject
  3. spell — letters
  4. file — a tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — a skill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. file — a document
  18. field — for sport
  19. bore — to drill
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — to rob

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