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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
468
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: squash · rule · kid · mine · fine · jam · fan · file

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kid — to tease
  8. file — a document
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. file — a line of people
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. kid — child
  17. rule — a law
  18. rule — government
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. fine — a penalty

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