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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. suit — clothes
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cap — a hat
  22. toast — bread
  23. suit — to fit
  24. toast — the most admired

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