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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — a grade
  4. kid — child
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kick — in football
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. season — in sport
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — of the year
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. land — to come down
  21. bass — low music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — ground
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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