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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pit — a hole
  7. net — after costs
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — a position
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. fall — the season
  18. net — in sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rock — a stone
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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