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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — low music
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — a series
  21. charge — electricity
  22. land — ground
  23. charge — a price
  24. fan — a supporter

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