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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. club — for golf
  9. plane — a tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — size or range
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. scale — in music

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