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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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468
Word bank
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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. tube — a container
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — to drop
  12. swing — music
  13. fall — the season
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. swing — to play on
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fan — to cool the air

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