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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. tear — to rip
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. firm — decided
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — hasty
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. firm — steady
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pound — a weight
  17. firm — a company
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — a series
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. plane — in geometry

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