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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spell — magic
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — to sink
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. field — farmland

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