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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. date — the fruit
  6. file — a document
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — after costs
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — bread
  18. file — a tool
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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