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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — the fruit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. toast — bread
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a line
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. row — to paddle

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