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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a document
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. net — for catching
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mine — for digging
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. file — a tool
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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