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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — tied together
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. swing — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. staff — employees
  21. bound — certain
  22. staff — employees
  23. bark — to shout
  24. kick — in football

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