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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — a position
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. cue — a signal
  11. root — of a plant
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. root — of a word
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rule — a law
  19. root — the cause
  20. rule — government
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cue — for pool
  24. fall — to drop

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