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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. march — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a face
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — for sport
  13. march — the month
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. board — a committee
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. board — to get on
  19. field — farmland
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mug — to rob
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — to cool the air

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