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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spell — magic
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. snap — to click
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spell — a short time
  13. track — a song
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spell — letters
  21. hand — help
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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