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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — after costs
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mug — a cup
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cap — a hat
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mug — a face
  19. net — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mug — to rob
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. fan — a supporter

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