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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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. land — ground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. land — a country
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — an amount
  11. land — to come down
  12. drill — army training
  13. wind — moving air
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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