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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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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pop — music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. game — a match
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mine — for digging
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pop — soda
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. foot — a measure

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