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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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. bat — for baseball
  4. bore — to drill
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — the season
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. season — of the year
  12. spring — of water
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — to add flavour

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