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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. shower — rain
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. shower — to wash
  6. net — in sport
  7. mark — a grade
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. net — for catching
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — after costs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mark — a trace
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fan — a supporter

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