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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chest — of your body
  4. present — there
  5. fine — all right
  6. present — a gift
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. rule — a law
  16. staff — employees
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — government
  21. roll — a cake
  22. staff — a stick
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rule — to rule out

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