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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rock — a stone
  5. pop — soda
  6. rock — music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — a match
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. date — on the calendar

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