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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. season — in sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. season — of the year
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fine — high quality
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of law
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. track — a song
  19. court — for sport
  20. fine — all right
  21. track — a path
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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