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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. charge — a price
  7. game — a match
  8. charge — electricity
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. game — wild animals
  11. net — for catching
  12. kid — child
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. net — in sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bound — certain
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. charge — in control
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — to tease

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