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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. drill — the tool
  19. game — a match
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — wild animals
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — a practice

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