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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. spell — letters
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — magic
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. swing — music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. track — a path
  24. nail — for a hammer

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