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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wake — a trail
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chair — a leader
  15. squash — to crush
  16. kick — in football
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — the animal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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