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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mate — to breed
  9. charge — electricity
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. charge — a price
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — in control
  16. mate — a friend
  17. squash — to crush
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cold — an illness
  20. spell — magic
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — letters
  24. cold — not warm

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