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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. snap — to click
  5. bound — certain
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — a trail
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. sharp — clever
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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