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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mark — a trace
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. mark — a grade
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. tube — a container
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rash — a series
  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