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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — to come down
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — in sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lean — thin
  10. net — after costs
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lean — to bend
  18. land — a country
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fan — a supporter

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