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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — a match
  3. last — finally
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rash — a series
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — final
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bark — to shout

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