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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. band — a music group
  8. drill — a practice
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. drill — army training
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. band — a ring
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  24. bore — to drill

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