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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spell — letters
  9. stand — to bear
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — all right
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — wild animals

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