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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. press — to push
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bore — to drill
  14. land — a country
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — ground
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. press — a publisher
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — a trainer

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