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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — low music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pit — a hole

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