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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spell — magic
  8. court — of law
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. kick — in football
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. craft — boats
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — letters
  24. court — of a king

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