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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. craft — boats
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. field — a subject
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. field — farmland
  13. march — the month
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. pop — music
  16. fine — all right
  17. wind — moving air
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — soda
  20. perch — the fish
  21. march — the month
  22. pop — to visit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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