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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — bread
  8. rush — hurry
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. court — of a king
  14. staff — employees
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — in sport

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