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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. mate — a partner
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mate — a friend
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rule — government
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — for catching
  22. cell — a phone
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cold — an illness

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