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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. degree — from a university
  4. toast — bread
  5. row — to paddle
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bulb — for light

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