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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · club · kid · safe · drill · can

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. can — to be able to
  3. kid — child
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. drill — a practice
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. can — a tin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. drill — army training
  18. club — for golf

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