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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — to crush
  8. last — finally
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — final
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — for money
  14. face — to confront
  15. bank — of a river
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. game — wild animals
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bank — for money
  20. face — part of the head
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wind — moving 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