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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — in golf
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. land — ground
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — music

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