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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — for catching
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. net — after costs
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. board — to get on
  24. fork — in a road

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