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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — clever
  14. present — a gift
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. present — the time now
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cold — not warm
  23. present — there
  24. cold — an illness

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