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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. date — the fruit
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. file — a document
  12. board — a committee
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. file — a line of people
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — to get on
  24. foot — part of the body

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