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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. shower — rain
  5. pit — in a race
  6. drill — the tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. march — the month
  10. pit — a hole
  11. plane — a tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. track — a path
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — to wash
  24. scale — size or range

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