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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — rain
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. craft — a skill
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. craft — boats
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kick — in football
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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