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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bore — to tire
  5. court — for sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. drill — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. present — there
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — the time now
  17. drill — a practice
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — a gift
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. court — of law
  24. prune — the fruit

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