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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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. drill — a practice
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lean — to bend
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — to shout
  21. dip — to sink
  22. kid — to tease
  23. drill — army training
  24. dip — to dunk

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