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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bass — low music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mate — a friend
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bear — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. net — for catching
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to confront
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. face — to point toward

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