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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cap — a hat
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — electricity
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. kick — in football
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. charge — a price
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. net — in sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. charge — in control
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mine — for digging
  24. cap — a lid

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