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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wound — an injury
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. rule — government
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wound — an injury

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