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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. degree — from a university
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — to come down
  9. degree — an amount
  10. land — a country
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. degree — temperature
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fine — high quality
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rush — hurry
  22. suit — in cards
  23. land — ground
  24. rush — to hurry

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