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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — bread
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spring — of water
  12. charge — a price
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — electricity
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. deal — to handle
  21. charge — in control
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — music

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