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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — low music
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. craft — boats
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rash — a series
  15. craft — a skill
  16. court — of law
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — for sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lean — thin
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. can — a tin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — to rest against

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