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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — to bear
  8. squash — to crush
  9. rest — what's left
  10. season — of the year
  11. rest — a break
  12. season — in sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — ground
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. land — to come down
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — a country
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. squash — the vegetable

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