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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — in biology
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — letters
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. cell — a phone
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — help
  23. spell — magic
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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