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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spell — magic
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — of law
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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