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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 124 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. scale — in music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — a subject
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stand — to bear
  18. can — to be able to
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — on your feet

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