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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. season — of the year
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. charge — a price
  12. deal — to handle
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mate — to breed
  15. stem — to come from
  16. season — in sport
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. charge — electricity
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. stem — of a plant

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