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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. club — for golf
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kick — in football
  8. bass — low music
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — to tease
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — child
  22. march — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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