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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · fork · temple · fan · rule · wake · pop · cold

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pop — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pop — soda
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. wake — a trail
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — in sport
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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