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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — music
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. file — a tool
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. file — a document
  18. march — music
  19. rule — a law
  20. lean — thin
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rule — government
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — the month

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