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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: mine · current · bowl · rush · pit · fan · game · bear

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. game — a match
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. current — happening now
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. current — of water
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mine — for digging
  24. current — electric

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