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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mug — a cup
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. swing — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — in golf
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mine — for digging

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