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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — to bear
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. face — to confront
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. present — the time now
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a football final

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