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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fine — all right
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — for sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — of law
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. spell — magic
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. board — to get on
  24. spell — a short time

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