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

Word bank: fan · sharp · perch · shower · lie · pop · firm · pit

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. firm — a company
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pop — soda
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — music
  12. pit — a hole
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. firm — decided
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. firm — steady
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pit — in a race
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — for a bird

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