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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 116 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cue — a signal
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — steady
  13. hand — help
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — a company
  16. cue — a hint
  17. firm — decided
  18. rest — a break
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hand — part of the body

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