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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a music group
  7. object — to protest
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lean — to bend
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — a thing
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — a group
  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