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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. charge — in control
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. object — an aim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — to protest
  17. rest — a break
  18. pop — to visit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — soda
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. degree — temperature

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