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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — rain
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. suit — clothes
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. shower — to wash
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bark — to shout
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. face — part of the head
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — to confront

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