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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: net · drill · bound · shower · face · rule · fan · toast

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. face — to confront
  4. net — after costs
  5. shower — rain
  6. rule — a law
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. toast — bread
  9. bound — obliged
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — for catching
  14. face — part of the head
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bound — certain
  17. drill — army training
  18. bound — tied together
  19. net — in sport
  20. rule — government
  21. face — to point toward
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. drill — the tool

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