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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fine — all right
  5. mug — a face
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wave — with your hand

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