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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. lean — to bend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. march — music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — a measure
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. march — the month
  24. fan — a supporter

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