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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. suit — in cards
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tear — to rip
  6. season — of the year
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — in sport
  10. current — happening now
  11. degree — an amount
  12. current — of water
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wind — moving air
  19. current — electric
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — temperature
  24. suit — to fit

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