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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 124 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. charge — a price
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. shower — to wash
  8. band — a ring
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — rain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fall — to drop
  16. charge — in control
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. fall — to drop
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. charge — electricity
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a rubber band

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