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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. row — to paddle
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. row — a line
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. can — to be able to
  23. band — a ring
  24. bear — the animal

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