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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. season — of the year
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — in sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mate — a friend

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