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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rash — a series
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fine — high quality
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ground — a position
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rash — hasty
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a ring
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. band — a music group
  20. fine — all right
  21. ground — the earth
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a rubber band

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