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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spring — of water
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — rain
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitch — completely
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. spring — a coil
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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