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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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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: kid · pound · mug · drill · fan · swing · stick · bowl

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — a face
  3. kid — child
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mug — to rob
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pound — a weight
  15. swing — in golf
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. swing — music

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