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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. present — the time now
  8. fine — all right
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — a gift
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. last — finally
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. last — final
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — there
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a ring
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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