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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cold — not warm
  3. land — a country
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — a gift
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. present — there
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — to come down
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. land — ground
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fan — a supporter

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