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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a match
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — of the year
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. season — in sport
  21. shower — rain
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. game — a kind of play

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