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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. swing — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. swing — in golf
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for golf
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pitch — completely
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. pitch — a sports field

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