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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — of a king
  5. field — farmland
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — of law
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — a subject
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — the animal
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mate — to breed

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