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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. club — for golf
  13. land — to come down
  14. mine — for digging
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — a country
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. club — a group

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