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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. race — humankind
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — a contest
  24. perch — the fish

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