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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — soda
  3. season — in sport
  4. pop — to visit
  5. season — of the year
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — part of the head
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — electric
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. current — happening now
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. face — to point toward
  19. perch — the fish
  20. current — of water
  21. face — to confront
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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