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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. lean — to bend
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. court — of law
  7. can — to be able to
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mine — for digging
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. suit — to fit
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of a king

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