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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. firm — decided
  4. land — to come down
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — ground
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — steady
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. land — a country
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. firm — a company

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