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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. season — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. season — of the year
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — to come down
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — a country
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mate — a friend

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