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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — the animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. perch — the fish
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. kick — in football
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. game — a kind of play

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