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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. branch — a division
  7. swing — music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. roll — a list
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bat — the animal
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. foot — a measure
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fan — a supporter

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