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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: rule · pound · roll · mug · shower · field · mate · fan

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mate — a friend
  3. shower — rain
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. field — for sport
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rule — a law
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mate — a partner
  10. roll — a list
  11. pound — a weight
  12. field — farmland
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. field — a subject
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mug — a face
  18. rule — government
  19. roll — a cake
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. roll — on a roll

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