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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. hand — in cards
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. present — a gift
  10. land — ground
  11. march — music
  12. craft — boats
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — help
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mate — to breed

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