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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: rush · face · ruler · fan · shower · land · ball · present

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — a gift
  11. face — to confront
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a great time
  15. present — there
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — part of the head
  20. ball — a dance
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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