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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. court — for sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. firm — a company
  10. bound — certain
  11. drill — the tool
  12. track — a path
  13. firm — decided
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — a practice
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bound — tied together
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. firm — steady
  24. drill — army training

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