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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 120 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: fan · saw · cap · sharp · row · kick · trunk · suit

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. row — a line
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cap — of ice
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kick — in football
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. suit — to fit

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