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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. season — of the year
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. net — in sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. season — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. fall — the season
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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