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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — a path
  11. foot — a measure
  12. track — a song
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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