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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. club — for dancing
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mug — to rob
  6. staff — employees
  7. present — there
  8. can — to be able to
  9. club — for golf
  10. present — a gift
  11. wound — an injury
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. present — the time now
  18. can — a tin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. club — a group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mug — a face
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — rain

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