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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. row — to paddle
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a line
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rest — a break
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bass — low music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lie — to recline
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lie — an untruth

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