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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mark — a trace
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. swing — music
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hand — help
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fine — high quality
  24. land — a country

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