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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bound — certain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. present — there
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — obliged
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. present — the time now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wind — moving air
  24. present — a gift

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