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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · perch · fan · hide · suit · cell · cold · rest

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cold — an illness
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — a phone
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — to fit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — not warm
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. rest — a break
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cell — in biology

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