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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. last — finally
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. land — a country
  7. cell — a phone
  8. land — to come down
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. land — ground
  14. craft — a skill
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — there
  22. present — a gift
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. last — final

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