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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. net — after costs
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. lean — to bend
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — the month
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fan — to cool the air

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