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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. field — for sport
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — in a race
  13. field — farmland
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — a subject
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. board — a committee
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. board — to get on
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. board — a flat piece

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