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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. club — for golf
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — a cake
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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