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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. shower — rain
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rest — a break
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rest — what's left
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. game — a match
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. chair — a leader
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. saw — the tool

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