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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — for catching
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stand — to bear
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. net — in sport
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — a phone
  13. shower — rain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — in control
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cold — not warm
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. cell — in a prison

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