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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tube — the underground
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. track — to keep track
  19. tube — a container
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. deal — to handle
  22. track — a song
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lie — to recline

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