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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
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: land · ball · bay · cold · bound · hand · fan · scale

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. land — a country
  6. ball — a dance
  7. hand — help
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. scale — in music
  14. cold — not warm
  15. land — to come down
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. scale — size or range
  18. land — ground
  19. bound — certain
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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