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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. shower — rain
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — a law
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rule — government

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