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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spring — a coil
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spring — the season
  15. kick — in football
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. land — a country
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — to come down
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. perch — for a bird

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