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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — child
  3. land — a country
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. land — ground
  8. kid — to tease
  9. present — there
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — the time now
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. bass — low music
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — the fish
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. land — to come down
  24. field — for sport

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