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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. ground — crushed
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — to confront
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — a position
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bass — the fish
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ground — the earth

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