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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. spell — letters
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — a short time
  17. roll — a list
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. spell — magic
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mouse — for a computer

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