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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — to get on
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a committee
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — to push
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — the season
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — of water
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fan — to cool the air

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