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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. march — music
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — the month
  8. fall — the season
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. kick — in football
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. object — an aim
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mark — a grade

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