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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. kid — child
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — in sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. current — electric
  11. board — to get on
  12. current — happening now
  13. board — a committee
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — of water
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rash — hasty
  20. season — of the year
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fine — all right

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