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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. swing — music
  8. object — an aim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. game — wild animals
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. game — a match
  23. object — to protest
  24. swing — to play on

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