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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. suit — to fit
  9. field — for sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. field — a subject
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. field — farmland
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — a phone

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