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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — to breed
  4. firm — a company
  5. mate — a friend
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mate — a partner
  8. chair — a leader
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — child
  11. club — for dancing
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kid — to tease
  14. firm — decided
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. club — for golf
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. firm — steady

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