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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a ring
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — a leader
  13. row — a line
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bear — the animal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fan — to cool the air

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