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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rash — a series
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — rain
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bound — certain
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rash — hasty
  24. snap — to click

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