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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: row · fan · pop · kick · game · ruler · net · drill

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — soda
  4. game — a match
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. net — in sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — in football
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. drill — army training
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. pop — to visit

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