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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — certain
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bound — tied together
  18. shower — rain
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fork — in a road
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bay — a horse colour

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