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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rule — a law
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — of a king
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — certain
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — for sport
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — obliged
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rule — government
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. fan — a supporter

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