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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — for catching
  4. wax — to grow
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. net — in sport
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. toast — bread
  13. drill — the tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chip — for betting
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chip — to eat
  20. drill — army training
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fan — to cool the air

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