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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rule — government
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — a tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. swing — music
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. pop — music
  20. band — a ring
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — a law

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