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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — an injury
  7. club — a group
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. club — for golf
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bulb — for light
  24. season — in sport

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