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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a lid
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. prune — to trim
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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