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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: wave · game · saw · sharp · arm · fan · shower · pass

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. saw — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. sharp — clever
  7. game — wild animals
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — a match
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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