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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. face — to point toward
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — rain
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — to confront
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. snap — to click

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