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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — in cards
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bark — to shout
  21. row — a line
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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