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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. season — in sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — in control
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — farmland
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — a price
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. season — of the year
  24. lean — thin

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