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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: fan · safe · charge · stand · sharp · leaves · foot · season

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — of the year
  3. charge — electricity
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — a price
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — in sport
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. charge — in control
  24. leaves — to go away

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