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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.

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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. file — a document
  5. land — to come down
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pass — a permit
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — all right
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — a country
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wind — moving air
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a line of people
  24. safe — out of danger

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