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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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Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. present — the time now
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. present — there
  9. fork — in a road
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. fine — all right
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. last — to go on
  21. present — a gift
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — high quality

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