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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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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: cell · band · pit · lie · sharp · fork · fan · mate

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pit — a hole
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lie — to recline
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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