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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. net — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. dip — to sink
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. pop — music
  15. race — a contest
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. saw — the tool
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the 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