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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. suit — in cards
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. suit — to fit
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. perch — the fish
  8. land — a country
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. season — of the year
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. suit — clothes
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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