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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · fan · leaves · bat · land · charge · season · kick

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — ground
  5. charge — a price
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. charge — in control
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — of the year
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. land — a country
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. season — in sport

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