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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. game — a match
  4. pop — soda
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — to visit
  13. march — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pop — music
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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