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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. charge — a price
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. field — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. field — farmland
  14. shower — rain
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. charge — in control
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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