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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — to be able to
  5. current — of water
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. last — finally
  9. current — electric
  10. land — to come down
  11. chest — a box
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — final
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. last — to go on
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. land — a country
  23. chest — of your body
  24. current — happening now

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