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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rash — a series
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — soda
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mug — a face

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