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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — a committee
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — in cards
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hand — help
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rash — hasty
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wave — with your hand

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