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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. last — finally
  6. shower — rain
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. shower — to wash
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. season — in sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bear — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. mark — to pay attention

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