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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — the underground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. court — for sport
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. court — of law
  21. shower — rain
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — a container

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