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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: fine · bass · game · key · shower · pound · wind · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fine — all right
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bass — the fish
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. game — a match
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — rain
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bass — low music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — high quality

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