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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 116 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. squash — the sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — of water
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stand — to bear
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — happening now
  21. cap — a lid
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. current — electric

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