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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — army training
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. drill — a practice
  7. club — for golf
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lean — thin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. lean — to bend
  12. drill — the tool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. land — to come down
  24. club — a group

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