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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. spell — a short time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — music
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — magic
  13. roll — a list
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — a subject
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. march — the month
  18. roll — a cake
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — farmland

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