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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. land — to come down
  3. rock — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. content — the amount
  18. land — ground
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. key — in music
  21. tear — to rip
  22. key — for a lock
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rock — a stone

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