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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spring — of water
  3. rule — a law
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mug — to rob
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mug — a face
  10. charge — electricity
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spring — the season
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — a coil
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mug — a cup
  22. sharp — clever
  23. charge — in control
  24. fan — to cool the air

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