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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — child
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — in music
  6. spell — a short time
  7. game — wild animals
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. spell — magic
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spell — letters
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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