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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · charge · fan · tube · field · object · ball · fine

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — a container
  7. charge — in control
  8. fine — all right
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — electricity
  18. charge — a price
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ball — a dance
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — to wash
  24. object — an aim

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