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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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. hand — part of the body
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — wild animals
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. game — a match
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. bore — to tire

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