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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bass — the fish
  5. mug — a face
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a document
  12. bark — to shout
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — in sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — for dogs

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