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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — to go on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a trace
  10. game — a match
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. last — finally
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bore — to drill
  18. shower — rain
  19. mark — a grade
  20. last — final
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bulb — of a plant

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