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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — high quality
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mark — a grade
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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