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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — humankind
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. game — a match
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. race — the arms race
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. can — to be able to
  17. race — a contest
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pound — a weight
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mine — an explosive

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