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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 · rock · ball · wound · last · mug · rush · game

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. game — wild animals
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — a face
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. last — final
  14. rush — hurry
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. last — finally
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — to go on
  20. rock — music
  21. ball — a dance
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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