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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — farmland
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. land — ground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. land — to come down
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — a subject
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — to put up with

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