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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. plane — a tool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — a series
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. drill — the tool

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