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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. ground — a position
  4. shower — to wash
  5. firm — decided
  6. file — a tool
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. firm — steady
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. ground — the earth
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. firm — a company
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — crushed
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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