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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rash — a series
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a tool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — a law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — government

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