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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tube — a container
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mug — to rob
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rule — a law
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rule — government
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — not warm
  23. mug — a face
  24. wind — to turn a key

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