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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — to handle
  12. net — after costs
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. shower — rain
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — for catching

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