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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — army training
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — in music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. mark — a trace
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bound — certain
  21. mark — a grade
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bound — tied together

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