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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. clip — for paper
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — of ice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — in sport
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a hat
  17. net — after costs
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. net — for catching
  24. clip — to cut

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