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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — to wash
  3. charge — in control
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bank — for money
  13. bound — certain
  14. hand — help
  15. bank — for money
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — electricity
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. face — to confront
  20. charge — a price
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — rain
  24. field — farmland

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