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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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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — an illness
  3. roll — a list
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — a stone
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — a break
  15. squash — to crush
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fan — to cool the air

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