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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — the season
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stand — to bear
  7. charge — in control
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — in sport
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. net — for catching
  19. charge — a price
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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