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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — to visit
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. club — a group
  18. present — a gift
  19. pop — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. present — there
  24. bear — to put up with

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