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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. perch — the fish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. field — farmland
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to click
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of law
  13. season — in sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. court — of a king
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. court — for sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. field — a subject
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. field — for sport

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