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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. kick — in football
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. stand — to bear
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. fine — all right
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fine — high quality
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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