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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. present — there
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — the fish
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — to wash

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