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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — the season
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to confront
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pound — a weight
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. deal — a big deal

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