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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cap — a hat
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chair — a leader
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to click
  22. cap — of ice
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cap — a lid

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