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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. current — of water
  5. season — in sport
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. current — electric
  11. bound — certain
  12. current — happening now
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bound — obliged
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. season — of the year
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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