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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bank — for money
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cap — a lid
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — an injury
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — of a river
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bank — for money
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stand — to bear

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