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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. swing — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — to trim
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bore — to drill
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. prune — the fruit

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