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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. club — a group
  4. land — ground
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — completely
  8. stem — to come from
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — to come down
  18. racket — for tennis

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