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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — after costs
  8. spell — a short time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. band — a music group
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. mug — a cup
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mug — to rob
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. mug — a face
  24. suit — in cards

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