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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. land — ground
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cold — an illness
  16. charge — in control
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — a price
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kick — in football
  24. plane — a tool

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