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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bass — low music
  5. rest — what's left
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. rest — a break
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bass — the fish
  20. can — to be able to
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. drill — army training
  24. mouse — the animal

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