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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — newspapers
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. current — electric
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cell — a phone
  21. tear — from crying
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — to push
  24. degree — temperature

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