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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rash — a series
  3. spell — letters
  4. field — a subject
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — for dancing
  9. object — a thing
  10. rash — hasty
  11. field — for sport
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. shower — rain
  14. spell — a short time
  15. club — for golf
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — to protest
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. spell — magic
  24. club — a group

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