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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — employees
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. saw — the tool
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. season — in sport

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