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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. saw — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — wild animals
  9. suit — to fit
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a match
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. suit — in cards
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fan — a supporter

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