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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. object — an aim
  5. cold — not warm
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. pit — in a race
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cold — an illness
  17. object — a thing
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — a series
  21. pit — a hole
  22. object — to protest
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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