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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — bread
  8. game — a match
  9. staff — employees
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. dip — to sink
  24. branch — a division

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