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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.

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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. file — a document
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rule — government
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bear — the animal
  14. squash — to crush
  15. sharp — clever
  16. ground — a position
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. file — a tool

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