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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. charge — a price
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hand — in cards
  7. charge — in control
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. charge — electricity
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — army training
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — help
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. shower — rain
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wind — moving air
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — the tool
  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