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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. degree — an amount
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. march — music
  19. shower — rain
  20. hand — help
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bay — a horse colour

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