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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — the season
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chest — a box
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. club — a group
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. club — for dancing
  23. roll — a list
  24. club — for golf

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