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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. current — electric
  10. fine — high quality
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — a position
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — the earth
  15. race — a contest
  16. mug — to rob
  17. current — happening now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fine — all right
  21. race — humankind
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — a face
  24. ground — crushed

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