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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: fan · chest · pop · ruler · date · toast · mine · mug

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — a face
  3. chest — a box
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pop — soda
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pop — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mug — to rob
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. toast — bread

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