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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. perch — the fish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. court — of law
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — in sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. court — for sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of a king
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bay — a horse colour

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