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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mark — a trace
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — of the year
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — 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