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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rule — a law
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — music
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. net — after costs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spring — a coil
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — in sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. net — for catching
  23. rule — government
  24. stand — for spectators

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