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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — letters
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — to come down
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. land — ground
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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