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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — in sport
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — a hat
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. cap — a lid
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. race — the arms race
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cap — of ice
  21. net — after costs
  22. wind — moving air
  23. net — for catching
  24. pound — for dogs

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