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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. row — a line
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mug — a cup
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mug — to rob
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a face
  17. ground — a position
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. row — to paddle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — of the sea

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