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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — the fish
  5. game — wild animals
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mug — a face
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — a cup
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — to rob
  18. wound — an injury
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. trunk — of a tree

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