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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fine — high quality
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cell — a phone
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. season — of the year

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