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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. season — in sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. season — of the year
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cap — a hat
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. staff — employees
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to click
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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