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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kick — in football
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — final
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fall — the season
  14. scale — size or range
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. last — finally
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — in music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. last — to go on

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