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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mate — to breed
  9. drill — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — for sport
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — army training
  21. cue — for pool
  22. field — farmland
  23. mate — a partner
  24. wake — a trail

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