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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mine — for digging
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. mine — belonging to me

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