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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mug — to rob
  10. last — final
  11. track — a path
  12. shower — rain
  13. track — a song
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — a hat
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cap — of ice
  21. last — finally
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. mug — a face
  24. jam — in traffic

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