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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — to rip
  7. net — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. squash — the sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — for catching
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — after costs
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. squash — to crush

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