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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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468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — child
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mate — to breed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mate — a partner

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