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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — a country
  4. court — for sport
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. land — ground
  10. court — of law
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — of a king
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. snap — to click

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