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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. last — finally
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pass — a permit
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. last — to go on
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — final
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fine — all right
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. fine — high quality
  24. craft — boats

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