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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. rash — on the skin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — a container
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spell — letters
  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