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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — for light
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. march — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. season — in sport
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. season — of the year
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to confront
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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