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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. snap — to click
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — in football
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. staff — a stick
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bulb — for light
  23. march — music
  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