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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. land — a country
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — ground

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