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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: racket · mate · fan · can · land · cold · toast · root

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mate — a friend
  5. root — of a word
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — to come down
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. can — to be able to
  14. root — the cause
  15. land — ground
  16. root — of a plant
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. toast — bread
  22. cold — an illness
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. can — a tin

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