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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mate — a partner
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. court — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. court — of law
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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