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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — wild animals
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — in sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rock — music
  18. drill — the tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — a stone

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