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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. last — finally
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — final
  8. game — wild animals
  9. swing — to play on
  10. last — to go on
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. face — to confront
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — rain
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fan — to cool the air

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