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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — a short time
  8. present — a gift
  9. board — to get on
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. present — the time now
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. present — there
  14. chest — of your body
  15. board — a committee
  16. land — ground
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chest — a box
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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