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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: fan · rock · court · fine · drill · game · fall · land

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — a country
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. land — ground
  6. fine — all right
  7. drill — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. drill — a practice
  13. court — for sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rock — music
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. drill — army training

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