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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fall — to drop
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. object — a thing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. object — an aim
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. object — to protest
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — for digging
  24. dip — to sink

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