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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spell — magic
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. can — a tin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wind — moving air

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