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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: cold · jam · fine · net · drill · date · shower · fan

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — high quality
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. shower — rain
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. net — for catching
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cold — an illness
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fine — all right
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fine — a penalty
  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