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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. shower — rain
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — a break
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. game — a match

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