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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 120 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: bass · mate · saw · game · bore · fan · wind · charge

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — a match
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bore — to drill
  9. charge — a price
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — low music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mate — to breed
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — moving air

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