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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. net — in sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — for catching
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — to recline
  19. scale — in music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stand — to bear

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