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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pop — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — to visit
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pop — soda
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hand — help

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