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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. sharp — clever
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. fine — all right
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. prune — to trim
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — a practice
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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