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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. chest — a box
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — all right
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — a break
  17. march — music
  18. rash — hasty
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. nail — for a hammer

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