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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — a match
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — a price
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. tube — a container
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. wake — a trail
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. charge — electricity

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