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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 116 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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. staff — employees
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — a match
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. march — the month
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. march — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. fan — a supporter

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