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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — a law
  6. fine — high quality
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rule — government
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — to wash
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — all right
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — to rule out

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