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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. band — a ring
  3. fine — all right
  4. hand — help
  5. fine — high quality
  6. firm — decided
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hand — in cards
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bass — low music
  15. firm — steady
  16. track — a song
  17. bass — the fish
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. firm — a company
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. bass — the instrument

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