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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. can — a tin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — to be able to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. can — a tin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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