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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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. racket — a loud noise
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — a country
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a music group
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a ring
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. land — ground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cue — for pool
  20. land — to come down
  21. season — of the year
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a rubber band

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