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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cue — for pool
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cue — a hint
  9. current — happening now
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. current — of water
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. game — a match
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. current — electric
  24. rush — a thrill

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