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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
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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: ball · bear · game · fan · cabinet · wound · cold · safe

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bear — the animal
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cold — an illness
  22. game — a match
  23. cold — not warm
  24. ball — a great time

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