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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. club — a group
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. lean — to bend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — for digging

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