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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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. mine — for digging
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — a cup
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. net — in sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. net — after costs
  24. mug — to rob

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