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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fall — to drop
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — the season
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. can — to be able to
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — not warm
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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