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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spell — a short time
  4. court — of a king
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. band — a music group
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a song
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — magic
  12. track — a path
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — a tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. court — for sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — letters
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. band — a ring

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