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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — a law
  8. swing — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — to play on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rule — government
  15. rest — a break
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rule — to rule out

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