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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. rest — what's left
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. drill — a practice
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cold — an illness
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rest — a break
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. drill — army training
  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