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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. roll — a list
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. roll — a cake
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. shower — rain
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bear — the animal
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — to put up with

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