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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. net — in sport
  4. lie — to recline
  5. net — after costs
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. root — of a plant
  9. net — for catching
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — music
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a document
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. file — a tool
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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