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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fine — all right
  5. toast — bread
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. field — a subject
  10. squash — to crush
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — high quality
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wound — an injury
  24. toast — the most admired

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