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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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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — the sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. land — to come down
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — to crush
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — a country
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — ground
  24. dip — a sauce

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