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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 124 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. net — in sport
  7. board — a committee
  8. ball — a great time
  9. net — after costs
  10. shower — rain
  11. board — to get on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. face — to confront
  16. drill — army training
  17. face — to point toward
  18. charge — electricity
  19. net — for catching
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — part of the head
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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