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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — a country
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. drill — army training
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. drill — a practice
  15. charge — in control
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to confront
  19. charge — a price
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. file — a tool
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — to trim

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