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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of a king
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — for sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — wild animals
  22. court — of law
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — to wash

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