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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — a song
  4. deal — to handle
  5. board — to get on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kick — in football
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. file — a document
  15. board — a committee
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — to keep track
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a path
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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