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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — to grow
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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