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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rash — a series
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. face — part of the head
  9. season — of the year
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pop — soda
  17. bark — to shout
  18. face — to point toward

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