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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. spring — of water
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. club — a group
  17. file — a tool
  18. rule — government
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — the season
  22. file — a document
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fan — to cool the air

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