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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — a position
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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