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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — for catching
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. land — a country
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. net — in sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stock — shares
  16. land — to come down
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. land — ground
  22. net — after costs
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — a soup base

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