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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 120 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. shower — rain
  11. rush — hurry
  12. drill — army training
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  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