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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — a lid
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — of ice
  11. game — wild animals
  12. current — happening now
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bass — low music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. current — electric
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. current — of water
  24. prune — the fruit

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