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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. net — in sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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