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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — a committee
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. net — after costs
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. shower — to wash
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — in sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. board — to get on
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — rain

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